How little cash to bring on Norwegian fjord cruise?

I'm trying to bring the least amount of Norwegian krone possible on the fjord cruise. Can anyone please tell me what are the things I have to pay by cash? Will the local tours at the ports take credit cards? Thanks in advance! :)

If you bring no cash, you can use an ATM card to get small amounts of cash and you'll get the best rate on the exchange. That's what I would do. As long as there are bank machines, you don't have to bring any for starters. I haven't been there, but ATMs should be available.

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I did not bring any NOK at my NORWAY Cruise. I did buy the local tours in advance at the web or did pay by credit card, widely accepted. In a shop I did pay with USD. EUR might also be accepted.

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You can buy quite a lot of tours at the network of local tourist offices and they will take cards. But if you asking a local fishing boat to take you on a trip cash will be needed.

You can always get Norwegian Kroner from a. Cash machine or from the ship so I woukd bring only a relatively small amount (£100 or $100) and top up as and when required.

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Thanks for the replies! :) I've heard that in some Scandinavian countries, tipping is not required. Did you tip your local guide after the tour in Norway? May I ask how much? Was it in US $ or NOK?

Tips are not prevalent in Norway and in general included in the price. However, the staff at restaurants and hotels as well as taxi drivers appreciate that rounding the bill up a bit, if you have been satisfied with the service.

Personally I would not tip a local guide in NORWAY.

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I am looking at post #4 from Eboracum, where it mentions using a cash machine or just getting some local money "on your ship".

I always cruise with NCL, but never to Europe before.

I am wondering if it would be normal to expect to exchange some american dollars in the customer service area for Kroner?

I have also read that it's best not to pay or tip in Norway in USD or Euros.

I can understand that, I wouldn't want to accept foreign money in payment myself.

Scandinavia is rapidly becoming a cash-free region and while from my experience Norway isn't quite as advanced as Sweden in becoming a cashless society, it's perfectly acceptable to use cards for most transactions - certainly in cities.

The usual caveats apply. I always have a few dollars worth of local notes and shrapnel - useful if you want to grab local transit and haven't purchased a transit card or don't fancy immediately searching for an ATM (also I'm reluctant to use a CC for to buy a cup of coffee - but that's just me!) You'll also need change if you want to use public restrooms although the one exception I came across was outside Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo - NOK10 or €1 or USD1 - at the rate of exchange, USD1 was the cheapest option to spend a penny!

I personally wouldn't even attempt to use a currency that isn't legal tender - even if it is accepted, you'll get screwed by the exchange rate and change will be in the local currency. And I certainly wouldn't use a ship' ATM or bureau de change... not unless you enjoy throwing your money away.

Will the local tours at the ports take credit cards? Thanks in advance! :)

Are you aware of any Norwegian ports where locals are hanging around waiting to hook up with cruisers looking for a tour? I ask because this is not the norm specifically in Norway, and, generally, in Europe.

I'm familiar with independent tours being arranged long before the ship gets under way. Other posters' experience supports this. One mentions arranging tours in advance via the internet. Another mentions pick-up tours at the local tourist office, but that's not the same as dock-side pick up tours. Most European port calls are filled with things to see and do. Getting to the tourist office and arranging for a pick-up tour seems a waste of limited time in port.

At Geiranger the tourist office is right beside the tendering point and the local tour buses, self drive cars or bikes are alongside.

There are some banks which offer a better deal than others on supplying local currency from cash machines. The same applies, of course, when you obtain foreign currency from your banks at home. What the OP presumably wishes to avoid is being left at the end of the holiday with Kroner that he then needs to change back losing money in the process

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I took $500 worth of Krone on my Norway trip which included several days in both Oslo and Bergen in addition to the 11 day Hurtigruten coastal cruise.

I used about half of it, for things like snacks from stores near the pier, once on a cab, and for public toilets (which were all paid unless inside a museum). I had my credit card refused at one restaurant in Oslo, and paid cash there, and the cab could have used a credit card, but it was at the end of the trip and paying cash was easier given that I was trying to use it up. In Oslo I bought the Oslo Pass so did not need cash for public transportation or museums.

After coming back to the USA I found a person in my city who was going on the same trip, and was willing to purchase my remaining Krone at the current exchange rate, so that worked out fine. I could have returned it to Bank of America (where I bought it) but there would have been a fee to do so.

Thanks for everyone's advice! Now I have a general idea of how much to buy from the bank before the trip. I totally forgot that washroom trips could cost! :rolleyes: Thanks for the reminders!

We did not bring any cash on our Norway cruise. Just credit card. The exception was British pounds for our pre and post hotel stays and just a little incase we needed it. Just about about everyone accepts credit cards. Just be sure your credit card has a 0% foreign transaction fee if possible.

We did not bring any cash on our Norway cruise. Just credit card. The exception was British pounds for our pre and post hotel stays and just a little incase we needed it. Just about about everyone accepts credit cards. Just be sure your credit card has a 0% foreign transaction fee if possible.

Sounds great to me! I was thinking of doing that at first but later think I should at least bring some just in case. Did you do any excursions? Were they bought with the cruise or pre-arranged independently online? No tipping? No washroom trips on land? No little snacks at stores? Sorry just want to get enough details to gauge. Thanks! :)

Sounds great to me! I was thinking of doing that at first but later think I should at least bring some just in case. Did you do any excursions? Were they bought with the cruise or pre-arranged independently online? No tipping? No washroom trips on land? No little snacks at stores? Sorry just want to get enough details to gauge. Thanks! :)

You need 10Kr coins for toilets- unless it costs more this year :rolleyes:

I like to have a little cash to get me through if I want to hit the ground running without needing to find a cash machine first thing. We do a lot of DIY touring in cruise ports and like to get moving quickly and beat the big cruise busses. So I like to have a few dollars ($50 to $100) worth of the local currency so that we don't need a bank machine first thing.

We order through AAA. It is by far the best rates I've seen from the USA. You pay with a credit card and they fed ex to you. If you order more than $1,000 worth, they ship for free. Before the summer, there are usually enough people where I work going places that it would be easy to combine one order, so even if you only want a small amount you can try to put a group together. Our last order was something like $1150 of several different currencies and we got about $1110 worth of currency going by the daily bank rate at the time. So, about a $40 premium, which is probably about $35 higher than a local in-country ATM rate. A pretty small spread for having some local currency. And it comes right to the door. Of course, if you do it too early you might get stung by currency devaluation but that can go in both directions.

I did Princess Norwegian Fjord cruise 2010 and doing it again in 2018. Beautiful scenery.

I had purchased about $50 in NOR.

I only did Princess excursions. I might have used a small amount for a tip for the tour guide. I did purchase a sweater and used my credit card. Passengers found everything was very expensive and people were not buying things.

Some people tipped in US$. The tour guides are used to receiving US$. I was told they save them to use themselves or when they have enough to exchange.

I plan not to exchange money to NOR for my 2018 as I lost too much going from CDN-NOR then NOR-CDN. I will using Princess excursions again.